Just Go
by Sailor Saiyan007
Summary: Her mother warned her this would happen. And what did she say to do when it did? "Go. Just go. I don't want to see your face here if you do end up pregnant, you good-for-nothing whore." And that's exactly what 15 year old Emily did: she left.
1. Chapter 1

'Go. Go. _Just fucking go you idiot!' _Emily screamed at herself, yet her feet remained planted. For the last two hours, she had been trying to convince herself to get up and go. Obviously, she had yet to be successful.

A loud creak shattered the silence around her, snapping Emily out of the daze she had been in for the past two hours. 'Is someone awake?' she thought, concentrating on where everyone's power level was at. No, all still sleeping. Just the house being weird again.

The thought of someone catching finally scared her into action. She dropped one of the letters she had been holding on her desk; there was no way she was sneaking into her mothers room to leave it there. She was too light of a sleeper.

Emily hauled her bag onto her shoulder and floated out of her room, down the hall and into her brother, Gohan's, room. He was snoring so loudly she resisted the urge to clap her hands around her ears. She quietly pulled out one of his drawers and set the second letter on top of his (ugh) underwear. It was the only place she knew he would see it without her mother seeing it as well.

She pushed the drawer back into place as Gohan let out a particularly loud snore, making Emily cringe. Floating back into her room, she unlatched the window and wiggled her way out of it, the opening just barely big enough for her to fit through. She didn't bother shutting it; her mother needed the clear sign or else she would deny it to herself for who knows how long.

She flew up over her childhood home. It was the only place she had ever lived, and sentimental feelings creeped up on her as she looked at it. Then she remembered the past few years of living there, of how it had went from peaceful home to a screaming and crying hellhole. Anger hardened her face and she took off, leaving her last traces of childhood with her sentimentality; neither had any place with her anymore.

However, she had one last stop before beginning her new life. _His _house. The tiny home where she felt more at peace than almost anywhere else. She had less than an hour to arrive and get in and out. It normally took her about that long just to get there, but she was never in any hurry then. This is now, and she needed to get a move on before he woke up and caught her. Putting on an extra boost of energy, she zipped through the night air at nearly impossible speeds, closing the distance between her and his house rapidly.

She arrived with ten minutes to spare.

She floated slowly through his house, taking it all in for the last time. The memories of this place and she fought against the urge to curl up and cry. There wasn't time for that now. In. Out. Go.

She rubbed her eyes and floated through his open door. She nearly stopped breathing when she saw his face. He was so peaceful when he slept. Like an angel with black hair, slightly fanned out around him. He never moved once his head hit the pillow, so he didn't know the disaster that was bedhead like she did. Tearing her eyes away, she placed the last letter on his bedside table and tried not to sob as she floated back down the hall. Going back through his front door, she locked the door back and placed her key under the mat; it's not like she would need it anymore.

Afraid the feelings would stop her from continuing, she didn't pause to take a last look at his house. She just bolted back into the night sky, causing the trees around his house and his neighbors houses to sway violently for a half a second, and she was gone.

The tears would have been streaming down her face if she had been still, but she was flying so fast they were whipped into the wind. She cried and flew until dawn broke through the early morning sky. Dropping into the forest conveniently beneath her, she dropped her bag on a branch before curling herself into a ball. She fiddled with the ugly bracelet on her wrist, but made sure it never broke contact with some part of her skin. It was the only reason she was able to do what she had done tonight without fear of being immediately tracked down. The _Ki _hider.

Placing the bracelet back on her wrist, she curled tightly into herself. Nothing would ever be the same again. But, if she had stayed, who knows what kind of abuse her mother would have inflicted upon her. That is, if her mother had allowed her to stay. Something shifted inside of her belly and she placed her hand on it. Ten weeks. Two and a half months. Was it a fetus now, or was it still considered an embryo? Emily didn't know. Should she know? Did most people know? Why didn't she know?

These thoughts continued to plague her until she fell into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

I have this listed as a one shot for now, but I will continue it if you guys want me to. Gladly, in fact.

* * *

Welp.

This idea has been floating around in my head for who knows how long. If you don't know, Emily is an OC of mine; she appears in my other story 'Gohan Has a Twin?' but with a drastically different story. In case you were wondering, no, I do not suggest you read GHT. It was written mostly when I was in 8th grade and is pretty awful. I've been thinking of doing it over, but every time I attempt to do so it never quite works out. Sigh.


	2. Chapter 2

_5 months later…._

Emily had experiences a lot of pain in her 15 short years, but never anything like that. Birthing a child turned out to be way more painful than she had thought it would be, especially giving birth alone, like she just had. The only thing that her moving right now was her little one screaming it's head off. Like a healthy baby.

The amount of relief Emily felt when she heard her baby cry was indescribable. She'd always heard that if the baby cries, it's strong and healthy. Boy, was her 7 weeks early baby healthy.

Despite the lower half of her body being numb, she determinedly set about washing herself and her newborn, her heart clenching when she realized she had just given birth to a baby girl. She knew absolutely nothing about raising a girl. A boy, now, she could have handled that easily. She watched over Goten and Trunks enough when they were tiny.

Tears threatened to spill once again and Emily forced herself to change her train of thought. Names. That's what she needed to be thinking of.

….Or did she? Could she really raise this child on her own, with absolutely no help? Emily knew she could care for herself in the woods, but a baby? What if there actually was something wrong with her little girl, and she couldn't tell? It's not like she could stroll into a hospital and say "Hey, yeah, I just had this baby, can you check her over and make sure she's okay?.. Parents? Nah it's just me... How old am I? Fifteen. Is that a problem?.. What?"

She could feel her anxiety rising again and switched her train of thought. Of course she could keep this baby. She would name her and teach her to read and write and all about the lovely things the world offered. She would _never _say the things her mother said to her.

...But, how would she do any of this? Exhaustion was already clawing at her, making her eyes droop and her hands slow. She was hungry. Her boobs hurt. Why did her boobs hurt? Shouldn't she know why her boobs hurt?

Emily had so many questions, and no one to ask for an answer.

'Someone who knows nothing can't raise a child… can I? No. Maybe. She needs a name,' Emily thought to herself. Focusing on that last thought, she forced herself to think of names. Amy. Hillary. Angela. Hannah. No, none quite fit the innocent face staring up at her.

"Clarissa?" she said out loud. The baby coughed, and Emily took that as a 'not quite'. "What then, do you like Clair?" Emily said, and the baby giggled. _Giggled. _She never thought so much joy could come from such a simple act.

"Then Clair you'll be," Emily whispered, touching her forehead to little Clair's.

* * *

Yeah, it's short. But, I needed to get this out of the way. The next chapter is probably not gonna be much longer, but that depends upon whether or not it contains the huge time skip. If not next chapter, then the one after that will have the time skip and should be quite a bit longer.

Until then!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

'Nothing's going to happen the longer you lay here. Just get up and go. Get over yourself.' Gohan's bitter thoughts continued to plague his mind as he stared at the ceiling.

"Gohan! You're gonna be late for your first day! Get a move on!" his mother called from downstairs. He still had no desire to get up and go, but the thoughts of his mother's irritation finally made him sit up on his bed. Rubbing his eyes and shaking his hair out with his fingers, he heaved himself out of bed, his muscles protesting the movement. He proceeded to ready himself for the day with the clothes his mother insisted he wear, though he was unsure if he really liked them or not. Whatever. He didn't really care.

He clomped down the stairs and entered the kitchen, ready to eat breakfast, but instead got a faceful of brown. A paper sack? "You're going to be late if you don't leave right now! If you had gotten up earlier when woke you up, you would have had plenty of time! Now, get moving," Chichi said, dropping the paper sack into his hands and turning around, likely to finish the dishes in the sink from the breakfast Gohan didn't get to eat.

Gohan mumbled, "Bye," and walked out of the kitchen and out the front door before Chichi could yell at him for mumbling. He had been doing it a lot since you-know-who left, and his mother heartily disapproved of it. Taking off into the sky, his thoughts shifted toward the person that had left him three years ago: Emily. He tried not to think of her too often, and his mother had assisted him a lot in that department. The morning after she left, his other cried all day. The next day, she was angry. She gathered all of Emily's things, including all the pictures with her in them, and dumped them all in a pile outside of their home.

Gohan barely stopped her from lighting a match to throw on top of the pile.

He proceeded to box all of her things and stash them away in a place his mother didn't know of; she didn't need the temptation. The amount of tears he shed while doing so wasn't something he liked to talk about.

Goten seemed to have forgotten about her. For the first couple of days he kept saying, "Where big sister?" and Chichi would snap at him. He quit asking soon after.

His thoughts were interrupted by his watch beeping at him. He came to a quick stop and glanced down. He was on the outside of the city; he would have to walk from here. Quickly dropping to the ground, he lightly jogged into the city, which was more of a run for normal people, but it prevented too many strange looks. He tried to stick to the less busy streets in order to make optimal time (and earn minimal looks). Making it to his destination with just minutes to spare, he took a deep breath and looked up and the large building looming over him. Orange Star High.

He pushed the door open and went to the office to retrieve his schedule. After a few more minutes of wandering and trying to find his first class, he walked in just as the bell was ringing.

"You must be the new student!" the teacher said in greeting to Gohan. The teacher was a middle aged man with a mustache and hair in a style that even Gohan knew was outdated. "Everyone, this is Son Gohan, make sure he feels welcomed!"

Gohan gave a small bow before scanning the rows for a place to sit. "Yoo hoo! Up here, cutie!" someone near the back called. Gohan looked up to see a girl with short blonde hair waving at him with one hand and pointing to the empty seat next to her with her other hand. Gohan hopped up the steps to her and sat down next to her, his nerves finally making themselves known. "Hello," he said quietly, fiddling with the vest he reluctantly put on that morning.

"Hi cutie! My name is Erasa, and these are my friends, Sharpener and Videl!" the bubbly blonde replied, motioning to the two teens sitting next to her.

"Sup nerd," Sharpener said, sticking two of his fingers up. His long blond hair almost reached his elbows. Gohan wondered what his mother would think about that.

"Don't be so rude Sharpener!" Videl snapped, her pretty blue eyes narrowing into a heated glare that made Gohan gulp nervously. "Ignore him Gohan. How are you?" she asked, turning to him, her tone now polite.

"A little nervous, I guess," Gohan replied, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure you'll fit in fine here," Videl replied, turning to face the teacher. Gohan assumed this meant their conversation was over. Erasa giggled and winked at him, picking her book back up as well.

'Maybe this place won't be so bad...' Gohan thought, excitement beginning to swell within him.

* * *

Longest chapter yet! (I think)(Probably not)

Anyway, I'm really sad that I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter. Seriously people, five for the first, all wanting more, and then none? That hurts. Were you guys upset that this is no longer 'complete'? If so, I apologize, as I had every intention of turning the initial one shot into a story if I got good feedback. Which, I thought I did, _but then it fucking died. _

No, I'm not bitter at all.

Also, note to self, don't promise anything in the upcoming chapters as I tend to change my mind a lot and kinda added a chapter that I had never planned before (yes, this one).

Please leave me a review this time guys ;-;


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"_I named her Clair."_

That's all the explanation Android 17 got when he opened his door one day to go to work _and there was a fucking baby on his doorstep. _And how does one deal with that? You call in sick to work and try to figure out how the fuck this happened, that's what you do.

After several hours of panicking and trying to find another option for the child, 17 decided to keep it. Very reluctantly, one might add. He soon purchased everything needed for a child, at a great expense to his wallet, and settled for a few frantic weeks while trying to find out just how to care for the thing. The child, Clair, was actually a well behaved baby, not that you could have convinced 17 of that.

Not too long after Clair came along, he realized he would need someone to watch her while he was at work. And thus came in Hitomi. A few months shy of nineteen years, she was young and energetic, ready to take on the task of watching a month old baby for several hours a day. When 17 hired her, she didn't ask any questions about the lack of a mother, for which 17 was grateful for. He didn't think he could explain.

He avoided the topic of a mother for three years. Clair was an exceptionally smart child, and she had started wondering why a lot of children had two parents when she only had one. How did you explain to a three year old that her mother had dropped her on a doorstep as a day old baby? Not being able to answer her questions, he changed the subject every time she asked. After a few times, she stopped asking him, and started asking Hitomi. That's when things got messy.

"How come you won't tell Clair about her mother?" Hitomi demanded one day when 17 arrived home from work. The child in question was absorbed into a TV show, oblivious to her surroundings.

17 signed in response. He walked over to the dining room table and sat down, placing his head into his hands. This alarmed Hitomi, who had never seen such a reaction from him in the three years she had known him. After a heavy moment of silence between the two, she asked, "What happened to her? Clair's mother?"

17 ran a hand through his hair and pulled it back straight before answering. "I don't know. One day she's here, the next day she's gone. A few months later I'm going to work and I find Clair on my doorstep with a four word note of explanation."

"Then how do you know who Clair's mother really is? Is she even your child?" Hitomi asked, flabbergasted.

His icy blue eyes stared ahead of him, fixed seemingly on nothing. "The handwriting on the note. It was hers. Plus, Clair looks exactly like her."

Frustrated with the slightly ambiguous answer, Hitomi pressed on. "She? She who? Clair's mother? What was her name?"

He had already been showing signs of shutting down, but that pushed him over the edge. "Thank you Hitomi, you can go home now," he said curtly, pushing himself away from the table and heading into the kitchen.

"You can't keep this from her forever you know!" Hitomi stage whispered at him in an attempt of keeping Clair oblivious.

"She's three years old. There's plenty of time," 17 shot back, sarcasm lacing his voice as he began putting dishes away, arranging them ever so carefully in the cabinets.

"And what are you going to do when she's ten and you've still yet to tell her anything about her mother?" Hitomi demanded. 17 ignored her. Exasperated, she threw her hands into the air, just barely preventing herself from yelling. "Why are you being such an uptight jackass about this?"

"Why do you even care?" 17 shot back, glaring at her, the ice of his eyes becoming even colder.

That made Hitomi stop for a moment, her mouth open and ready to retort, yet nothing came out of it. "That's what I thought. Just go Hitomi. I'll see you tomorrow," 17 said as he finished with the dishes and walked into the living room, sitting beside Clair, who tackled him into a hug.

Hitomi watched them for a moment, love and pain shining in her eyes, then picked up her purse and walked out of the front door.

* * *

Finally, an update! Sorry it took so long, but I literally had to brew a pot of tea and put on a Legend of Zelda soundtrack to de-stress enough to write this. School's a pain in the ass. Plus, I had a lot of internal debate going on about where Clair should end up so... yeah.

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

She was but a shell of herself.

She kept telling herself that it was for the best. She couldn't have been that great of a mother. She had no means to care for a child and was practically one herself.

If that were all true, why did she feel an overwhelming sense of guilt? Guilt that ate away at her, made the formerly bubbly and happy girl quiet and withdrawn. Over the past year, she had taken to wandering the streets, searching for a place that would hire her. Most people took one look at her and sent her on her way, either because she was too young or appeared too depressed.

She was wandering down a street one day when she stumbled upon a dojo, one of the few left after Hercule Satan became famous and opened up a chain directed by him. There wasn't a sign anywhere stating the name of the dojo, but she could tell from the style of the place and the sounds of fighting coming from within. A rare sense of curiosity arose in her, and she pushed the large wooden doors open and was nearly kicked in the face. Jumping back to dodge, she began to wonder why she had even thought to open the door in the first place. The man that had nearly struck her poked his head out of the door, his eyes covered in shadows and his mustache twitching. "Who are you, little girl?" he asked, his accent foreign to her.

"I, uh. I'm sorry. I'll be going now," she said quickly, turning around and walking fast.

"Wait!" he called after her, darting quickly in front of her, causing a jolt of surprise to go through the girl and making her stop dead. "I asked you a question. I hope you respect your elders enough to answer it."

She looked at him for a moment, trying to see his eyes. She had no luck, as they were completely shrouded in the shadows. "Emily," she finally said.

"Now, Emily, how did you open the door to our dojo?" he asked, twirling his mustache around one finger. Gross.

"I pushed it. Like you do with every door. Is this supposed to be a trick question?" she asked, confused.

"No, it's not," the little man said, folding his arms behind his back. "It's very unusual that we have someone so such a thing however. That door weighs quite a bit more than an ordinary one."

"...Okay? Can I go now?" Emily asked, becoming uneasy. She couldn't see the mans eyes, but she had a feeling they were fixed somewhere they shouldn't be.

"Just a moment more, please. I have a feeling you need a job. We just so happen to be hiring within our dojo."

"Since when?" a booming voice behind Emily said, making her jump and spin around. The voice belonged to a huge man, who seemed to be even larger when compared to the other man she had been talking to. "We haven't had a new member of the dojo in forever, Kenta. I don't think Yato wants one either."

"Not a new master, Saka, but a housekeeper, yes," the little man (Kenta?) replied. "I get the feeling this one would be a great asset to us."

The large man, Saka, boomed out a laugh and Emily had to restrain herself from covering her ears. "Whatever old man. You get to take that up with Yato," he said before turning back into the dojo.

"I'm guessing this Yato is the dojo master," Emily said.

"Indeed he is. Are you interested in the job?" Kenta asked. His eyes appeared to be glinting despite being in shadows, and Emily had to shut her eyes.

"...I guess I am," Emily said, somewhat reluctantly. From the little that she had seen, these guys were all fruitcakes, but a job was a job, wasn't it?

"Well, come on in then, and we'll talk to Yato," Kenta replied, a slight bit of smugness filling his voice as he walked calmly back into the dojo.

Emily held her breath as she watched him walk away. Her subconscious was screaming at her that it wasn't a good idea, and it was usually right. 'It can't hurt to see. Plus, you really need this job. Just go in you buffoon!' she yelled mentally at herself. Releasing her breath, she squared her shoulders and strode into the dojo to have the job practically thrown at her. Apparently, none of the masters there knew how to cook or clean very well and were desperate for someone who could. She would be paid for her work, be given a room at the dojo, and ate her meals with the other masters and any pupils they had. The pay wasn't much, but with the other benefits she would receive, she thought it worth it, so she accepted.

The other masters of the dojo were wary of her and her abilities at first. At only 16, they thought she should be at home, but no one ever asked questions about why she wasn't. She didn't give details out either.

* * *

I'm sorry if this is kind of confusing. It makes sense to me, but that means nothing. If there is something I need to clarify on, please leave a review and tell me. :)

I originally wrote this at 3:17 AM. I edited the next morning though; it probably needed it. I'm also really disappointed with the way I ended this chapter, but I couldn't think of a more BANG ending.

Brownie points to whoever can tell me what the dojo references!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Hitomi had left the subject of Clair's mother alone for exactly a week before she began to badger 17 about her again. However, 17 didn't immediately sink into a funk like he had before. Instead, he became really, really angry.

"Why the hell do you even care? She's not here. She probably never will be. Can't you just leave it alone?" he snarled. He had to restrain himself from throwing her against the wall.

"Because she deserves to know about her mother!" Hitomi snapped back, her vivid green eyes flashing.

"She's three fucking years old, what the hell does it matter?" 17's fists were clenching at his sides in an attempt to keep them from strangling the woman in front of him.

"Kids know, Seventeen. They know. They are so observant. More than you would think," Hitomi replied, the anger suddenly leaving her as her tone became pleading.

"And how the hell would you know this?" 17 demanded, his rage unquenched.

"Because my mother did the same thing to me with my dad. I asked for years about him, years, and never knew anything about him. I still don't. She refuses to say anything. I don't want Clair to never know who her mother was or what she was like. Just tell her," Hitomi explained, her voice going from pleading to desperate.

"Why can't it wait a few more years?" 17 asked stubbornly.

"The longer you put it off, the less you'll want to tell her. Just go tell her and get it over with!" Hitomi snapped, anger suddenly flooding her again.

"Fine!" he snarled, stalking over to where his daughter was playing with some dolls in the living room. As he approached her, his anger faded away. The little girl was so young, so innocent. Her hair was dark blonde, nearly brown, and it fell down her back completely straight, a trait shared by both of her parents. His heart clenched in his chest at the thought of her mother, the young, vivacious, and utterly insane Emily. Clair's little face was almost an exact replica of her mother's, which made 17 weak in more moments than he would ever admit to anyone, including himself.

"Hi Daddy!" she said cheerfully. She looked up at him with her innocent eyes and frowned. "Are you okay, Daddy? You look sad."

17 refused to show his surprise at his daughter's intuition. Looks like Hitomi was right. Sitting crossed legged next to her, he said, "I'm fine. I was wondering if you wanted to know some stuff about your mother."

Clair's mouth fell open and she dropped her doll as she sprung onto her feet, bouncing excitedly. "Really, Daddy? Really?" An excited squeal rang through the room when 17 nodded. "Yay!" She looked at him with expectant eyes, her excitement shining through with nothing to cloud it.

"What do you want to know first?" 17 said, pulling the girl into his lap. Back in the kitchen, Hitomi listened carefully to everything they said while pretending to be interested in her phone.

Clair looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, "Was she pretty?"

17 almost laughed. Such a simple, innocent question; he really couldn't expect anything else from Clair. "Yes, she was."

"Was she nice?"

"If you were nice to her, most of the time she was."

"Was she tall?"

"Not really. A little bit shorter than me."

"But you're tall, Daddy."

"No I'm not. You just think I am."

"Did she like Yo Bagga Bagga?"

"...I don't think she's ever watched it."

"Daddy?"

"What?"

"Do you know why she left us?" Clair asked, her ocean blue eyes suddenly sad.

17's heart clenched, but the expression on his face didn't change. "I don't know Clair. I wish I did."

"Did… did she not love me?" Tears were beginning to pool in Clair's eyes. 17 felt a pang of anger and hurt shoot through him. Hurt at seeing his daughter so upset, anger at Emily for causing it. Again, he allowed no such emotion to appear on his face.

Grabbing Clair's shoulders, he looked directly into her eyes and said, "Clair, do not doubt for one second that your mother did not care for you. She had a big heart, and there's no way she didn't love you."

"Then why didn't she stay with us?" The tears escaped and 17 sighed.

"I don't know Clair. I really don't know."

* * *

...I think I broke my own heart with this one. Sorry if anything is too confusing, I wasn't sure what to make Clair ask and random shit popped into my head.

Oh well. I hoped you enjoyed and please leave me a review! :)


	7. Chapter 7

*Note: the events of the Saiyaman Saga happened as it did in the original story. I didn't see a need to cover it all over again.

Chapter 7

_This is going to be a great day, _Gohan thought. His dad was back, his mother had a shine to her eyes that he hadn't seen in years, and everyone was pretty much in a better mood with his father back for a visit.

But then he had to notice.

"Uh, guys, where's Emily? Shouldn't she be here?" Goku asked, scratching his head in confusion.

There was a long moment of silence before Videl, who was standing next to Gohan, asked, "Who's Emily?"

"She's a demonic person that is no longer welcomed anywhere near us! Now come on, we've got to get you boys registered if you're going to fight," Chichi snapped, turning away and walking determinedly in the direction of the registration booth.

"What crawled up her butt and died?" Videl muttered to Gohan. He just shook his head and trailed after his mother, blocking out Krillin's weak attempts to start a conversation back up.

…

Clair sat in the stands with Chichi, Bulma, Marron, Hitomi, and Yamcha. Comfortably placed in Hitomi's lap. she never noticed the odd glances she earned from Chichi, Bulma, and Yamcha. They had all met the girl before, but it was only for a few moments at a time; 17 didn't linger when they were around. Now, sitting in the stands, all three were thinking the same thing, _why does she look so familiar?_

Hitomi noticed the glances, but thought they were directed at her. She had met the two women briefly before, and in those few moments she had picked up that neither approved of her. Based upon the way they barely interacted with Clair yet doted on Marron, the two didn't approve of the child either. Maybe they just didn't like 17, and the dislike transferred to his child and the lady he was almost always with.

Whatever the reason was, Hitomi decided she didn't like them either. She sat rigidly in her spot, sneaking glares at the other women. Clair remained oblivious to it all, watching the fights with intense interest.  
…

Gohan's confidence level went from Vegeta to zero in about two seconds flat when the freaky pink blob caught up with him. _This is it, _he thought. _I'm doomed. I'm probably going to die._

He couldn't even land a hit. His movements felt slow and sluggish, a sensation he hadn't experienced in years. This monster, Buu, didn't even look like it was trying to kill him. The thing seemed to enjoy using Gohan as a punching bag. His last fleeting thought before being knocked out completely was, _Maybe if she were here, I would have stood more of a chance..._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Emily liked to think it was her persuasive personality that kept the masters of Ryozan at the dojo when word of Buu started to spread, but the more likely cause was probably her crying her eyes out and begging them not to go. After receiving many assurances that they would (very reluctantly) stay put, she went to her room and fell into a meditative state in a desperate attempt to keep up with what was happening out in the world. _Gohan's down but not dead, good… Vegeta, what the hell are you doing? VEGETA! You idiot, now you're dead and he's still here!... Holy shit Dad, since when is there such a thing as Super Saiyan 3? You've been doing some crazy training… Who's that coming closer, is that-SHIT._

Emily sprang off of the floor and sprinted through the many rooms of the dojo, but she was too late. Buu was already lifting all of them into the air, and she disappeared from the grounds just in time to avoid the bright pink light.

Appearing in the center of the Lookout, she immediately fell to her knees. Staring at the ground in front of her, she unsuccessfully attempted to hold back her tears. _They're gone now. They're dead because you couldn't act fast enough to save them. What have you done?_

She was ready to curl into a ball and cry herself to sleep when someone picked up the front of her shirt. Through the tears in her eyes she could just barely make out the irritated face of Piccolo. "Pull yourself together, kid," he grunted, dropping her back onto the floor. She landed with a light thump and rubbed her eyes vigorously. This was no time to cry. Things needed to be done.

Rising shakily to her feet, she looked up at Piccolo with determination. "What's going on here? I've been paying attention to what was happening to Buu, but I didn't even think to check in up here."

"We're training Goten and Trunks," he replied.

Emily nearly fell again in shock. "You're training _children _to fight a sadistic _monster? Are you kidding me?_" she shrieked, absolutely appalled. Those two weren't even ten years old and they were expected to go up against a creature like Buu? Ridiculous!

Piccolo winced at her shriek and glared at her while rubbing his ears. "They're stronger than you would think. They're both Super Saiyans, and both have incredible potential. Your father had faith in them, and so do I. Besides, you were younger than them when you went up against the Vegeta and Nappa."

"You guys didn't just send Gohan and I in to be killed! We were trained in case we had to fight, but we weren't the main fighters! That was you! And Dad! Do you realize what a load of _bullshit _this is?" Emily exclaimed.

"I realize that they're our only hope, unless you suddenly pull some amazing power out of nowhere," Piccolo said sternly.

"We're okay with it," a voice said quietly from behind Emily. She turned around to see a tiny version of her father looking up at her with kind eyes. "We want to fight. We want to learn. The thing we're doing seems ridiculous but if my dad thinks it will work, can't we try?" Goten explained quietly.

"Why are we explaining ourselves to you anyway? Who are you?" Trunks demanded, crossing his arms in a very Vegeta-like stance.

Emily wanted to laugh and cry when she heard that. _Of course they don't remember you, you idiot. They were young! You couldn't have made that much of an impression on them! _"I'm an old friend," she lied, not even thinking about it. "I met you two when you were younger, but I haven't been around for a few years. I'm not surprised you don't remember me."

"What's your name?" Goten asked eagerly.

"I'm Emily," she replied. Several heads snapped in her direction, all with shocked looks on their faces. Emily turned to them, confused. "What? Did no one recognize me except Piccolo? I haven't changed that much. Well, I don't think I have. You guys know it's rude to stare, right?" she asked, when no one looked away from her.

"_You're _Emily?" someone demanded. Emily turned to meet the unfamiliar voice and saw it was a woman, a few years older than her, holding a child that looked very familiar.

"Yes, I am. Who are you?" Emily asked, slightly put off at the rudeness in the unfamiliar woman's voice.

Emily didn't receive a verbal answer. The woman set the child on her feet and stomped into the building.

There was a brief moment of silence in which Emily glanced back and forth between the woman and the child until her eyes rested on the child and her heart broke again. _How many times in a day can my heart do that?_

* * *

I had planned on this chapter being a lot longer, but then I found an amazing stopping point. I apologize for any errors, as part of this was written on my absolutely awful phone.

dbzfangirl1 and Persephone99: thank you two so much for your faithful reviews. You make me want to update!

Please review! :)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Emily sat quietly in the corner, watching Goten and Trunks perform the fusion technique over and over under the watchful eye of Piccolo. After her catastrophic landing at the Lookout, no one really wanted to talk to her; they had regarded her warily, something she hadn't expected. Not even her mother would look at her. Having nothing better to do, she had followed the boys and Piccolo to their training room. Watching them make the same movements over became old quick, but being here in a familiar environment was better than being out with everyone else, where she felt like a stranger.

...

She was back.

17 could hardly believe his eyes when Emily appeared out of the sky and crumpled to the ground. Piccolo seemed to be the only who could react properly: he picked her off the ground then carried her away to the training session. No one else joined them, even though Krillin and Yamcha had been with them previously. After Hitomi stuck her nose up at Emily and ran off, everyone was just quiet for a while. Then the gossip began.

"What is she doing back here?"

"Why was she crying?"

"Does she look really thin to you?"

"Why do you guys care so much?"

The last one was said, very quietly, by a rather confused Videl. Everyone seemed to have heard it, however, and the chatter stopped as everyone turned to face her. "What?" Videl said, still confused and now a little flustered.

"You… Gohan never told you about her?" Krillin asked.

"No… She said she was an old friend, right? You guys seem like you haven't seen her in a few years, and I've gotten the impression that's not a big deal," Videl explained.

"Videl…" Krillin began. "Emily's not an old friend. She's Gohan's twin sister. That's why I was surprised he never mentioned her."

Videl's eyes widened considerably and her mouth fell open slightly. "He- what?"

"It's my fault," Chichi said quietly. All eyes turned to her, burning with curiosity. "When Emily first left… I went a little crazy. I almost burned all of her things, but Gohan managed to stop me. After that, he packed up all of it and I forbade him to ever talk about her again, and to never look at her things. That's probably why Goten doesn't remember her; we haven't even said her name in three years..." Chichi's eyes had a haunted look in them.

"What about Trunks, then? I know she looked after him before," Krillin said, turning to Bulma, who shrugged.

"Hell if I know. She didn't watch him very often, but she did come over quite a bit. She mostly just sparred with…" Bulma trailed off as well, unable to finish.

A heavy silence hung over them for a few more moments before Krillin spoke up once again. "Does anyone even know why she left?"

Chichi shook her head mournfully. "No one does. She left me a letter when disappeared, but she didn't say why she was leaving."

"I do," 18 suddenly spoke up. Everyone looked at her in surprise, even Krillin. 17 shot her a warning look. _Don't you fucking dare, _he thought. _You know what this means. Don't do it!_

* * *

Sorry about the long wait and the short chapter, and for the skipping around. I've been trying to get this out for a while... I'm graduating high school in a few weeks and things are going to be fairly crazy, so you might not want to expect an update for a bit. Also, I'm going to Dallas ComiCon next weekend! Much excite! (If you're going let me know :D)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"And you never told anyone this, why, exactly?" Chichi demanded, anger and hurt fighting for control of her voice. The anger seemed to be winning as her face was slowly turning redder.

"I was told it wasn't my secret to tell, but if she's going to be a little brat and avoid everyone, I'll tell everyone for her," 18 replied blandly.

"I don't care who says it, I just want to know!" Chichi said, her voice borderlining a shriek.

"It's really not your place to tell anyone," 17 spoke up. A chill seemed to run through everyone there as the ice in his voice; never had they heard someone speak with such cold malice before.

"She's being a little brat, and you're not helping matters. You've always had a soft spot for her, haven't you, 17? I guess you would have had to, since you're part of the reason she left. You're not being any better than her, you know. You're a coward," 18 replied, her voice just as frigid as 17's was, her ice blue eyes matching the coldness in her voice.

"Maybe I am a coward, but at least I'm not a vindictive bitch," he spat. The two glared at each other for a moment longer before a timid voice spoke up.

"What's going on in here?" Emily said, confused.

No one said anything. It's not like Emily had really expected them to, but with all the arguing going on, she thought at least one person would talk to her. Sighing, she turned around and began walking out, intent on going back to the training session. "I don't know who the bigger coward is. It's a tie between Emily and 17," 18 said, her voice light as if she were making small talk.

Emily froze. _Just keep going. Don't fall for it,_ her brain told her rationally. _Whip her ass! teach her a lesson! _her pride whispered, goading her. She decided to listen to her brain this time and continued walking forward until 18 decided to open her mouth again. "Maybe it is Emily that is the bigger coward. She is the one who disappeared for three years and dropped her child off without no explanation."

_Get the bitch! _her mind now said.

Emily swiftly turned and marched right up to 18, anger blazing in her eyes. "You're really going to call me a coward for that? For being afraid that my mother would finally disown me for good, for being afraid that everyone would think of me as less of a person, for being afraid that I would end up alone even if I did tell everyone? You don't know what the hell I was going through. You didn't know that Mom and I fought to almost every night until one of us starting crying. You didn't know that I was so depressed after I left I barely functioned properly. You didn't know that I wanted to keep her, but knew, just _knew, _that if I did she would have an awful life. I chose that day to give my child the life she deserved. Are you really going to call me a coward for that?"

Silence. Not that it was something new around here, but this one held more shock in it than anything else. 18 didn't even look at Emily. She simply turned around, picked Marron up, and walked out of the room.

Emily had turned to walk out the opposite way when someone else finally decided to speak up. "You… you were pregnant when you left?" Chichi said quietly, shock written all over her face. Emily turned halfway and nodded. "How did I not know… How did I not see…" she continued, more to herself this time.

"You didn't want to see," Emily replied, her voice barely loud enough to carry throughout the room. "You didn't want to know what you had always said about me was true."

"I never really meant any of it," Chichi said, tears finally beginning to form in her eyes as she shock wore off. "I was just so angry… I realize now how wrong I was. I am so, so sorry for the way I reacted to you… You were hurt over you father passing, more than I ever realized, and I never made it any better, did I?" Chichi looked to her only daughter as tears spilled down her face, sorrow and regret etched into her features.

Emily quickly strode back to her mother and wrapped her in a hug. "I forgive you, Mom. I forgive you."

* * *

I don't have an explanation for anything I write anymore. It all just comes out and I'm like, "Yeah, that looks good, better post it before I change my mind."

I seem to be on a roll today so mayhaps there will be another chapter posted in a few days!


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"What did you do with the child?" Bulma's concerned voice broke through the tender moment Emily and Chichi were sharing.

Chichi pulled back immediately, her eyes wide with curiosity and slight panic. "What did you do with it? Where's my grandchild, Emily?" Tears pooled in her eyes again as she thought of what she just said and she hastily wiped them away, completely breaking contact with her daughter.

"She's… around," Emily said vaguely, slightly surprised they hadn't figured it out yet. The girl was standing no less than ten feet away, but no one was even sparing her a glance. Her large, dark eyes were gazing at Emily curiously from behind her father's leg, the tension radiating off of him obviously not bothering the young girl.

"She?" Chichi asked, not noticing where Emily was looking. The tears began to make their way down her face then. "I have a granddaughter!" she shrieked happily, seizing her daughter briefly once more. Pulling an arms length away, she looked into her daughter's eyes, realization in her eyes. "When you say around, you don't mean…"

Emily didn't answer. Instead, she looked over to the child, and Chichi followed her gaze. "I must be blind," she whispered to herself, backing up a few paces to get both girls in full view. Emily's dark blonde hair fell in the same waves as Clair's, whose hair was a few shades darker. Their eyes were the same shape, though the color of Clair's more closely resembled her father's icy blue than her mother's dark navy. Everything about the small girl screamed relation to Emily, right down the curiosity that lit up her eyes, the same way it used to light up Emily's.

Chichi slowly started to walk to Clair, but never made it past Emily. She turned to her daughter with astonishment and hurt in her eyes. "Are you really going to prevent me from seeing her after telling me that?"

"It's up to 17," Emily said. "She's lived knowing you guys as slight family friends for her whole life. If you now want to recognize and treat her as a grandchild, I think you should ask 17 if he is okay with it."

All eyes turned onto him, including one pair looking straight up at him. "What do they mean, Daddy?"

17 sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. This was too much pressure for one person. What was he supposed to say? That they were perfectly fine before and nothing had to change? Allow the woman that he had known as crazy into his daughter's life? How was he to explain this to the child and have her understand?

He could feel all the eyes on him, and two pairs in particular burned into him, one with innocent curiosity and the other desperate. "Clair, why don't you go find Hitomi and play for a bit?" he finally said, opening his eyes and looking down at his daughter.

"But what about-"

"Clair. Go find Hitomi," he said, his voice slightly more harsh.

"But you never-"

"I'll explain everything later Clair. Go find Hitomi. Now," he ordered.

There was a long moment where Clair looked at him before finally replying, "Okay Daddy," and walking out of the room.

He watched her exit the room before turning to face the curious mob before him. "Well?" Chichi prodded impatiently.

Though 17 never was one to feel shy, there were certain moments in a person's life where they didn't want to talk. This was one of them. "I, uh. I need to talk to Emily, alone," he stammered out, surprising all but one person in the room.

* * *

...Hi? Am I hated yet?

So sorry about the long wait, really. The word count on this chapter is isn't great, but I have a half written chapter with a current word count almost double of this chapter. And I do mean half written, I've got a ways to go, so the enxt update should be a good one (And answer some questions that you may or may not have~)


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

He pulled her to the edge of the Lookout, away from prying ears, and turned to her with anger in his eyes. "Did you really expect to be able to just waltz back into my life and act like nothing had ever happened? Act like you never left and you were here for the past three years raising the child you gave birth to? Well, you can't! Shit doesn't work like that, Emily. The world doesn't revolve around you, so stop acting like you're some all-mighty great force of nature sent here to bring automatic peace. And what was that bullshit you pulled back there with Chichi? What the hell were you thinking, putting me on the spot like that? And since when have you cared about my opinion on things, since you sure didn't care if I wanted a kid but you dropped one on my doorstep anyway, with no warning or explanation!" By the time he 17 was finished with his rant he was red-faced and breathing hard due to his barely-contained anger. His ice blue eyes looked upon Emily, raging like blue flames, kindled by the look of calmness on Emily's face.

"I know I can't 'just waltz back in' as you said. I know the Earth doesn't revolve around me. What I don't know is why you're this angry that I'm back." 17 opened his mouth to interrupt, but Emily patiently held up a hand, wanting to continue. His mouth snapped shut and he looked away, literally biting his tongue to keep himself from replying. "I didn't plan to come back like this. I didn't even know if I _wanted _to come back." He tried to speak once again and she silenced him with a withering look. 17 bit down harder on his tongue. "That monster- Buu?- attacked where I was, and I panicked. I could sense everyone's energy's here, so this is where I ended up. After my, uh, breakdown, I didn't really have any hope of reconnecting with anyone, least of all you or…" she trailed off, unable to say her daughter's name. She cleared her throat, trying to sooth the tightness she felt there as tears sprung to her eyes. She turned her bloodshot eyes away from 17, not wanting to show quite how much everything was affecting her.

Her voice dropped to just above a whisper as she continued. "I didn't want to mess up your lives. I know I've already done so much to you two, and I didn't want to screw anything else up, so I stayed away. I didn't know what else to do about that. I knew that if I came back I couldn't keep myself from being in your lives, but I also knew that I shouldn't be in your lives. I didn't deserve that privilege after all the crap I've done. I-" Emily paused to draw in a deep, shuddering breath. "I knew you could take care of her properly. I knew you would do what it took, whether that was handing her off to another person or taking care of her yourself."

She turned back to him, her eyes still watery but more under control, despite her words and feelings. "I'm sorry I put you on the spot like that in front of everyone, but I really didn't think you would appreciate my mother coddling… her, like she was about to." Her voice had become slightly stronger when she said that, but then it dropped down to a whisper so quiet 17 had to strain to hear her. "Are you really so upset that I left her with you? I knew she needed one of us, and I knew I couldn't provide for her like you could. I knew you could step up and do what needed to be done; I wouldn't have left her there if I didn't think you couldn't."

All of the anger had left 17 by now. Almost every assumption he had made since Emily had been gone was wrong. He had also never thought about how she would feel, making the decisions she had made. The girl standing in front of him was not the bubbly, carefree girl that had disappeared three years ago. In front of him was a woman, completely broken by the decisions she should have never had to make.

He still had one question, one that had been on his mind since he found Clair on his doorstep that day. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

A tear finally made it's way down Emily's cheek as she looked up at him, her eyes betraying all of the pain she felt. "I was scared," she whispered.

"Why?"

"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if you, if you…" She took another deep breath, her head hanging low. "If you had said you never wanted to see me again, if you had gotten angry, or any of the other thousand scenarios that I thought up and wouldn't leave my head every time I thought about telling you."

There. That was it. She had told him everything, shown him how everything she had done affected her. All she wanted to do was curl into a ball and sob her woes away. She felt weak from everything that had transpired, and from all of the tears she had already shed that day. She could feel her knees starting to shake with the effort it was taking to keep her upright.

And then he was holding her, pulling her tight against his chest. The dam broke for the second time that day and she was sobbing against him, as she had done many times before, and never thought she would be able to do again.

* * *

WOO I wrote this instead of studying for my final I'm losing my mind and failing all of my classes I hope you guys likeded this kthnxbai


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

When the tears finally stopped flowing she shakily pulled away from him. "Sorry about that," she whispered, wiping the last bits of moisture from her eyes.

His broken expression startled her a little, but her shock was quickly replaced with confusion as an emotionless mask slid onto his face and he replied, "Don't mention it," as he stepped further away from her.

Hurt welled up within her as her confusion grew. "What's wrong? Did I do something-"

"No, you didn't. Just…" he trailed off, refusing to meet her eyes. "Just let it go. We should get back." He turned abruptly and walked away, his from obviously stiff with some suppressed emotion.

What was that about? Emily thought, extremely confused and slightly hurt as she watched him go.

…

He couldn't believe he almost did that. 17 felt like punching himself in the face for being drawn in by her tears and swayed by her words. He had built up quite a bit of resentment for Emily over the past three years but it was all crushed by some words and a few tears.

He was so fucking weak when it came to that goddamn woman. Had anyone else burst into tears like that in front of him, he would have told them to shut up and get over it, and he had done it before. But when mother fucking Emily shed one little tear his immediate reaction is to pull her close and never want to let her go.

Fucking pathetic.

…

Hitomi watched 17 carefully as he paced back and forth, so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice neither her or Clair watching him. She knew he was steaming over something, but the exact cause was a mystery to her. All she knew was that it had something to do with Clair's biological mother, and that angered her beyond words.

After a few more moments of watching 17 pace, Hitomi couldn't take it anymore. Standing up, she stalked out of the large room they were in and began blindly searching for the cause of her anger. The longer it took the more frustrated she became, until she spotted the little bitch sitting near the edge of the platform they were on- the Lookout, Hitomi believed she had heard it called- and quickly strode over to the woman, resisting the urge to kick her off of the edge. Instead, she halted just behind her and began to tap her foot impatiently, waiting to be acknowledged.

After a moment, Emily turned her blank stare from the horizon to the unknown woman before her. Forcing herself to focus, she looked at the older woman, trying to remember if she had seen her before. Coming up with nothing, Emily decided to go the direct approach. "Who are you?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

Glaring down at the younger girl, she snapped, "I'm Hitomi, otherwise known as the woman raising the child you abandoned."

Emily sighed and turned from the woman, looking about out into the clouds just below them. "I suppose I should thank you for that. Kami knows 17 couldn't have done it alone, but I expected him to ask 18 for help, not to hire a nanny."

Hitomi, who had fully expected to engage in a verbal war with Emily, was rather stunned. "You're… not even angry at what I said?"

Emily turned her attention back to Hitomi now. "How could I be? It's not too far off from the truth. I did abandon her. I left with no intention of ever returning. Some would consider that abandonment, but considering I did leave her with her father, many others would not regard it as such."

"You left your child with a man who has absolutely no experience, no patience, and no clue that he was even a father. How could-"

"Isn't that how a lot of parents start out?" Emily asked, tilting her head once more. "Other than the not knowing that he was going to actually be a father, don't most parents not have a clue what they're doing when they have their first child? They have a vague idea, as most people do who do not yet have children, but they don't know the full implications of what it is to be a parent."

Hitomi narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. Who did this chick think she was?! "You speak like you know all of the woes of parenthood, but you just gave up your child, so what do you know?"

Finally, Emily reacted. Her eyes hardened and she sprang up from her sitting position, staring right into Hitomi's face and she again reiterated her earlier words. "I know what it is like to carry a child inside of you for months. I know what it is like to give birth with absolutely no one around to tell you what to do, so you just have to guess on what is best. I know what it is like to hold your newborn child and think that there's no way you can raise her, and have that thought be immediately accompanied by one saying there's no way you can go back either. I know that I did what I thought was right for my child. What I don't know, however, is how anyone thinks that my fifteen year old self did wrong by leaving her child with her much more capable father, who wasn't constantly plagued by hormonal mood swings and who didn't have such a bad relationship with his mother that, upon finding out that they would have a child, immediately knew they had to leave home because if they stayed a miscarriage was so much more likely than if they left to go to the freaking woods and live by themselves. You may not understand all of what I've been through, but I didn't do anything that I thought would be bad for that child."

Hitomi was unfazed by her heated words. "And you never once thought that staying to raise Clair with 17 was a good idea?"

Emily snorted. "I dreamed about it at night and fantasized about it during the day. But I knew that if I returned with a child, my mother would never let me live it down. The length of my pregnancy was not long enough to allow her to reflect on what we both did wrong, and nothing would have changed. I would have walked right back into a hellhole, and I know for certain there's no way I could have returned to be with 17 and not have her come barging back into my life. We both needed time to reflect and change, and we have both done so after nearly three years of time and space. The few short months I was gone wouldn't have been nearly long enough."

Hitomi merely scoffed. "Will you ever stop making excuses?"

Emily's eyebrows shot up in surprised as she barked out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, sure, when you stop being a cold hearted bitch who doesn't know what the hell she's talking about."

...

SWEEEEERVE

Yeah, so, it's late and I'm not quite sure if any of this makes sense but I'm uploading it anyway. Things are going to go down in the next chapter and hopefully that one won't take so friggin long for me to write. I'm sorry about that, by the way. Life, man. Also, laziness.


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